


Down on the Farm

by BigBandBombshell



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Laura is not Clint's Wife, Non MCU Compliant, some smut later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-01-11 03:34:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18421971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigBandBombshell/pseuds/BigBandBombshell
Summary: Clint has been helping his sister in law Laura on the new family farm for months. He spirited her and her kids away when Barney - Clint’s brother and Laura’s husband - revealed himself to be Hydra. This visit is different though. Laura has been on him to introduce Natasha to the family and Clint finally got Natasha to agree.





	1. Incoming

“It’s not too late for us to divert to Rio.” Natasha’s words were muffled by the book in her hands. Clint glanced over at her but she had spoken without looking up at him.

“Rio would require us to reroute, not divert,” he reminded her. “Besides, we’d be late for breakfast.”

“Wouldn’t want that,” Natasha deadpanned.

Her grip on the book was loose, her shoulders were relaxed. Clint couldn’t see a trace of tension around her eyes or at the corners of her mouth. Her foot didn’t bounce as she read and her body shifted with the slight motions of the quinjet. Natasha oozed calm. It didn’t fool Clint.

“They’re going to love you.” He held his hand out to her, palm-up in the open space between their seats.

Natasha didn’t say anything. She snuck a look at him from the corner of her eye but otherwise remained perfectly still.

“Laura’s been on me to bring you around for a while. And the kids -”

“I’m not great with kids.” Again Natasha spoke without looking up from her book. She even turned a page, though Clint was sure she’d stopped reading ten or fifteen minutes ago.

“Then you don’t have to hang out with them.” Clint shrugged, one hand still held out to her while the other adjusted the jet’s controls. “But they’re great kids. Real wise-asses once you get to know them.”

Clint chuckled under his breath.

“One time I went to their old place and Lila was acting up. So Barney said -” Clint’s humor died as his mind lingered on his brother. Natasha finally put down her book. Her fingers laced through Clint’s just as his hand began to drop and she offered him a smile when he looked at her.

“He made his choice and you made yours.” Natasha gently squeezed Clint’s fingers.

“I know, I know. It’s just…Hydra. Literally in the family. Still hard to process sometimes.”

Clint shook his head and gave Natasha’s fingers a squeeze before he managed to slap a smile back on his face.

“But, hey, Laura got this awesome farm out of it. She needs some help to keep it running, especially with the baby coming and all that.”

“So that’s what we’re really doing this weekend.” Natasha’s tone took on a softer edge. “We’re manual labor.” She managed a grin of her own as Clint shrugged.

“Well if you want to get  _specific_ about it…yes. I gotta knock out a wall and get some painting done.”

“Archer, secret agent, interior decorator. You’re a man of many talents, Mr. Barton.”

“You have no idea.” Clint’s grin edged into something hotter but the jet began its descent before he could elaborate. Natasha allowed herself the luxury of exposing her apprehension as the clouds scattered beneath them and the farmhouse came into view. Her fingers tightened their grip on Clint’s. Clint flashed her a smile, then brought the jet in for a landing.

Two tiny figures raced out of the farmhouse, followed by a third that was taller, rounder, and slower. Clint laughed as he cut the jet’s engines and the sound of tiny fists hammering on the rear ramp echoed around them.

“I take it that means they’re excited?” Natasha managed a wry smile and Clint nodded.

“Oh yeah. They love when I visit. Lila gets to learn new archery tricks and Cooper gets to beat me at Need for Speed.”

“You lose to a child?”

“It’s not like those games have accurate mechanics.”

Natasha’s thin smile grew as Clint mustered up an exaggerated pout.

“Bad mechanics, got it.” Natasha shook her head and unfolded herself from the chair.

Clint activated the speakers and told the kids to stand back, then activated the rear ramp. It opened with a soft whine that the clanging of sneakers on metal quickly drowned out.

“Uncle Clint, Uncle Clint!” Both kids jumped onto the ramp before it was halfway to the ground. They pounded their way through the jet and past Natasha, then threw their arms around their uncle.

“Whoa whoa, loading zone safety! C'mon guys!” Clint stooped down and scooped a child into each arm. They squealed as he hoisted them up, the boy perched parrot-like on his shoulder and the girl under one arm like a giggling piece of luggage.

“You comin’ or what?” Clint threw Natasha another grin, then marched down the now-open ramp.

Natasha hung back, her pack on one shoulder and Clint’s dangling from her other hand. The kids were like hyper-active walls of sound. Her ears still rang from their thunderous entrance. She had the fleeting thought that she should have brought the earplugs she used at the gun range. Clint called out to her again and she shook off the anxiety skittering across the back of her neck. It was two days with Clint’s family. How bad could it really be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr at https://bigbandbombshell.tumblr.com/  
> Find me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BigBandBombshll  
> Find me on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/BigBandBombshell/  
> Find me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bigbandbombshell/


	2. Bacon Sandwiches

“And there's only two of them?”

Natasha stared wide-eyed around the kitchen's large family room. The space was filled with large, soft furniture, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and the detritus of two active children. Legos covered the coffee table, hand-drawn pictures were tacked along most of the wall space, and a tea party took up half the hearth. Natasha didn't want to know if there was actually tea in the brightly painted pot. She only hoped nobody lit a fire while the Barbies and stuffed animals were still perched in front of the fireplace.

“Soon to be three.” Laura threw Natasha a smile as she made her way around the far end of the couch.

The living room opened into the farmhouse's kitchen, which was just as cluttered and chaotic. Three people lived in the house – four if Natasha counted Clint's frequent trips to check on his sister in law and her kids. Yet there were seven chairs around the extra-long kitchen table. Four stools were tucked under a high counter as well, and Natasha could see folding chairs through a pantry door someone had left cracked open.

“Host a lot of parties?” Natasha motioned to the open pantry when Laura looked confused. The other woman followed Natasha's gaze and laughed.

“Oh, no. SHIELD uses some of the acreage for different studies and they lend us some of their staff as farm hands in return.” Laura shrugged and closed the pantry door. “I couldn't run a farm without their help. Not even one this small.”

“It's 'cause mama's pregnant!”

Natasha arched a brow as she followed the sound of the voice. The little girl was practically wrapped around Clint's leg. She giggled when Natasha looked at her, then hid behind her uncle.

“C'mon now, Lila. Don't be shy.” Clint twisted around and swung his niece up into the air. The girl squealed and Natasha did her best not to cringe. She was surprised nobody had weaponized the shrieks of children yet. Their pitch alone could probably bring down half an army.

The boy rushed in as if the summoned by the sound of his sister's laughter.

“My turn! I want a turn!” The boy jumped up and down, narrowly missing Clint's foot.

“Cooper, give him a minute!” Laura's voice echoed out from the back of the kitchen.

The boy turned a hopeful eye toward Natasha. His hope withered when she arched a brow at him. Natasha felt a twinge of guilt when he ducked behind Clint's legs and would only peak out at her from behind his uncle.

“Alright, alright. You've got enough flight time, young lady.” Clint grinned as he tossed his niece down on one of the couches. The girl shrieked, a sound her brother mimicked a moment later when Clint swept him up.

“Uncle Clint says I can be a pilot or a superhero when I grow up!” Lila bounced up to a sitting position and leveled her gaze on Natasha. Her smile made it clear that she expected a response. Natasha threw Clint a panicked glance but he only shrugged.

“Is that...do you want to be a superhero?” Natasha pulled out one of her softer smiles. It must have been what Lila was looking for because the little girl nodded.

“Yep! Just like Uncle Clint. I'm gonna work for Mr. Stark and fight bad guys!” Lila bounced off the couch and ran off toward the kitchen, fists flying as she made what Natasha could only assume were punching noises with her mouth.

Cooper wiggled out of his uncle's arms and ran off after her, screaming something about Captain America and laser cannons. Natasha watched them go, her smile frozen on her face. She snapped out of it as Clint's arm slipped around her waist.

“So is it as bad as you thought?” He murmured the words close against her ear. Natasha felt a blush rising and squashed it back down.

“Worse.” She turned her brightest smile on him, just in case Laura looked up. “How do two people that small take up so much space?”

“It's all the energy!” Clint shrugged and slid his other arm around Natasha's waist as he pulled her into his chest. “They steal energy from the adults around them. It's gotta go somewhere!”

Two screaming balls of fists and Avengers costumes bolted by before Natasha could respond. She spotted toy versions of her wrist cuffs on Cooper and Mjolnir dangling from Lila's wrist before the kids were off again. Their footsteps thundered overhead, though their voices were too muffled to hear.

“First time around kids?” Laura reappeared with a plate of bacon sandwiches.

“That obvious, huh?” Natasha winced. Laura only laughed.

“It's always easy to spot the uninitiated. You'll tune out the noise eventually. Just make sure you're always on the lookout for Legos.”

“Stepping on a Lego hurts more than most torture techniques I've been put through.” Clint dropped into one of the kitchen chairs. He reached for a bacon sandwich but froze when he realized both women were staring at him. “What?”

Laura pulled a dish towel from her shoulder and whacked him with it.

“You never told me you'd been tortured!”

“Well, it's not something that I'm gonna share in front of the kids!” Clint snatched the towel from Laura's hand before she could hit him again. Laura rolled her eyes and shook her head with a groan.

“You've probably been through just as much.” She turned to Natasha with a frown. Natasha tensed, already hating the pity she knew she'd see in Laura's face. But there was none. Laura just looked tired. Tired and sad.

“It was a long time ago.” Natasha heard herself reassure the woman. “The worst thing I have to worry about now is stepping on one of Clint's pizza boxes.”

Laura smiled, though Natasha could tell it was in spite of herself.

“We have a strict no pizza rule in this house.” Laura grabbed Natasha's hand and gave it a squeeze before Natasha sat down at the table. “So you should be safe from his trollish behavior. For a little while at least.”

“Hey give me some credit,” Clint grumbled around his sandwich. Both women arched a brow at him and he shrugged. “I'm not a troll. I'm a goblin.”

“What's the difference?” Natasha slid two sandwiches onto her plate. Clint set his food down with a grin.

“Trolls don't have that dance magic.”

“Dance magic?”

Clint pushed back from the table with a grin.

“ _You remind me of the babe. What babe? The babe with the power_.” He started to sing at the top of his voice. His hips swung in time with a rhythm that Natasha couldn't pick up.

“ _What power_?” Laura joined in though her hips moved slower. She rested her hands on the faint bump under her button up and grinned as Clint danced around the table to Natasha's side.

“ _The power of voodoo_!” Both kids burst back into the room, grins on their faces as they chanted the words in unison.

“ _Who do_?” Clint pulled Natasha up from the chair. He slid an arm around her waist. His grin was infectious and Natasha couldn't help but smile. She let him lead, her hips moving when his did.

“ _You do_!” The entire family took up the song. Everyone sang at slightly different speeds and she was pretty sure the kids weren't getting the words right. But it didn't matter. She was starting to hear the music, to pick up the rhythm of the song from the way Laura bopped around in the kitchen, Lila spinning at her side.

Clint leaned in and Natasha checked her cut reaction to stop him. She wasn't sure if people were supposed to kiss in front of kids, but she supposed Clint wouldn't try if it wasn't okay. So she smiled and let him kiss her. She could feel his grin against her lips and his kiss tasted like bacon. It was Clint and it was perfect. Even when Laura and kids teased them until not even Natasha could hold back the flush that tinged her cheeks pink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr at https://bigbandbombshell.tumblr.com/  
> Find me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BigBandBombshll  
> Find me on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/BigBandBombshell/  
> Find me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bigbandbombshell/


	3. Just Listen

Dancing dissolved into a game of chase around the kitchen table. Clint stomped after the kids, roaring out his best monster impersonation. Laura stayed well back from the ‘rampage’ as she cleaned up the last of the breakfast mess.

“Can I help with that?”

Natasha didn’t have the first clue about playing chase with kids. Cleaning up a mess, on the other hand, was something she knew all about. But Laura just shook her head.

“You’re going to be doing enough work over the next few days. Enjoy your relaxation while you can.” Laura gave Natasha a quick wink, then called the kids away from their game. Clint and Natasha were alone a moment later as the children thundered out the front door. Laura followed at a slower pace as she yelled for the kids to wait for her before feeding the chickens.

“Still think we should have diverted to Rio?”

Clint grinned as he moved behind the kitchen counter and pulled Natasha into his arms. She pushed gently on his chest and looked over his shoulder. Clint just laughed and pulled her closer.

“The kids have seen people hug before, Nat.”

“I don’t know how children function, Clint.”

A little of the sparkle in Clint’s eyes faded as the impact of Natasha’s words sank in.

“I’m sorry. C'mere.” Clint tucked her head under his chin. Natasha resisted for a moment, her guard still up. But the beat of his heart was strong and comforting beneath her ear. It only took a few heartbeats before she let herself relax against the soft cotton of his t-shirt.

“Rio could still be fun,” Natasha murmured. “But we’re already here. And it would be rude to leave too soon.”

Clint glanced down and grinned when Natasha smiled up at him.

“Well we wouldn’t want to be  _rude_ , now would we?” Clint chuckled and pressed a kiss to the top of Natasha’s head. Natasha tensed, then reminded herself that they were alone. She even went so far as to nuzzle gently against his chest before she slowly freed herself from Clint’s embrace.

“So what do we do now?”

“Now I give you the grand tour!”

The sparkle was back in Clint’s eye when he grabbed Natasha’s hand and dragged her to the back door. Laura waved at them from the side porch and Natasha waved back before Clint dragged her into the barn and onto a four-wheeler.

“How big is this farm that you guys have four-wheelers?”

“Bigger than you’d think. Hop on.” Clint patted the seat behind him. He looked so excited that Natasha couldn’t help but grin too as she settled onto the faux leather and wrapped her arms around Clint’s waist.

 

* * *

 

Natasha’s hair whipped around her face like strands of scarlet tinsel. The warmed her back and chased off the chill of the wind as Clint sped across an open field. Natasha smiled against the back of his shoulder and buried her nose in his shirt until his scent mingled with the smells of green growth, rich soil, and warm summer air.

They passed outbuildings and low fences at a speed that made the scenery blur just a little. Clint slowed when they approached an open gate that separated a large field of crops from the rest of the farm. Someone stepped onto the porch of a small house at the edge of the field, then waved them on as a gate on the far side of the field swung open. Clint gunned the engine and took off across the field. Natasha glanced back and saw the gate close behind them. Then they were around a bend and deep into the trees that bordered the property.

Clint slowed as they moved deeper into the woods. They were a half-mile into the treeline when Clint pulled the four-wheeler into a clearing and cut the engine.  

“This is still part of the farm?”

“I told you it was bigger than you’d think.”

Clint grinned at Natasha over his shoulder. He held up one hand and, though she didn’t need it, Natasha let him help him steady her as she slid off the seat. Clint climbed off after her and snagged her hand in his. He led her away from the clearing and into the trees.

“We’re pretty close to the property line, but there’s something out here I wanted to show you.”

Natasha’s mind kicked over with tactical plans before she shooed them away. It was hard, sometimes, to remember that she had a life outside SHIELD. A life she hadn’t expected to have. A life, it seemed, with Clint. The thought brought a smile to her lips. And her smile only grew when Clint stopped short in front of a small pond.

It wasn’t anything special. Just a small pool of water maybe eight feet deep and surrounded by tall grass. Except someone had put some love into the place. The water was naturally clear and the tall grass had been left to grow naturally. But the flat rocks positioned along one side of the pool’s edge were too perfectly aligned to be natural.

Clint led Natasha onto the rocks. A boulder sat to one side and he leaned back against it as he settled on the sun-baked stone.

“What are we -” Natasha cut off when Clint shook his head.

“Just listen,” he whispered. Natasha settled into her seat on the stone and leaned her weight on one hand.

The sounds of nature slowly rose around them as the animals grew used to their presence. Birds chirped back and forth in the trees. Small things scurried through the bushes and water bugs skated over the surface of the pond. It wasn’t anything Natasha hadn’t seen before. But when Clint leaned his head back against the boulder and closed his eyes, his smile brought magic to the moment. He was so relaxed, so at peace. And it struck Natasha that she had rarely seen him like this. Even fresh from sleep, Clint had rarely looked so calm.

Her heart squeezed in her chest. There was suddenly too much distance between them, though Natasha glanced around once more before she silently rose from her spot. She closed the distance and knelt between his legs. Clint cracked one eye open and arched a brow.

“You were too far away,” she muttered. It sounded corny but the smile on Clint’s face was worth every word.

He shifted his legs apart until Natasha could turn cat-like and settle herself between them. Her back nestled into his chest and Clint wrapped her in his arms before she could rethink the relatively public show of affection.

“Close enough?” He murmured against her hair. Natasha hummed softly and Clint grinned.

They rested against the boulder as the sun slid through the sky. Clint dozed off and on, lulled by the warmth of both the boulder at his back and Natasha in his arms. Natasha couldn’t find it in herself to sleep in such an exposed area. But she sat. And she listened. Over time she could have sworn she heard the bugs skating across the water. The birds in the trees became familiar enough that she could tell which talked more. And the small animals in the bushes had regular routes that she pinpointed with easy accuracy. It made her feel – if not peace – at least calm. But of all the sounds in the woods, her favorite was the beat of Clint’s heart against her ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on Tumblr at https://bigbandbombshell.tumblr.com/  
> Find me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BigBandBombshll  
> Find me on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/BigBandBombshell/  
> Find me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bigbandbombshell/


End file.
